Farm/Food Innovation Center

In a major new initiative to strengthen our regional food system and further our mission, Strolling of the Heifers has acquired the Robert H. Gibson River Garden, a beautiful building prominently located at 157 Main Street in the heart of downtown Brattleboro.

We are developing, at the River Garden, a vibrant new regional resource: The Farm/Food Innovation Center. At the same time, this 4500 square-foot space continues to be available as a public resource.

The Farm/Food Innovation Center at the River Garden

The River Garden has 4500 square feet of open space, used since 2001 for public events, performances, lectures and exhibits. Under our stewardship of this community resource, we plan to maintain the public uses of the building, but also to create programming, facilities, and exhibits that are related to our own focus areas of local food, food systems, and healthy sustainable living — a Farm/Food Innovation Center.

At the Center, we will tell the story of agriculture and food systems in our region, past, present and future. Our goal is for the Center to become widely known as a destination — as a place for discovery. People will come here to learn about Vermont’s agricultural legacy, its current agricultural economy, and its agricultural future. A visit to the River Garden will tell people how the local food system in our region works: what farmers produce, how it is aggregated and distributed, what kinds of businesses process and add value to local farm products, where our local farm and food products are distributed, sold and consumed, and how farmers, consumers and regions benefit when they actively strengthen local food networks. Visitors will encounter the story of a rich legacy, a set of bright opportunities, and a promising future of sustainable enterprises.

Through this experience, visitors will come to truly understand the value of local foods. We are looking forward to offering educational experiences including: